Reducing valve



J. w. MccNNELL REDUCING VALVE Filed May 25. 1918 INVE/vro/ ZW WeCo/WELL Patented V.,luly l0, 1923.

untreu STATES meme PA T OFF! JAMES W. HCONNELL, 0F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR T0 GOV- 0F THE UNITED STATES.

nnnucme vALvE.

Application tiled Hay 23, 1918'. Serial N0..236,241.

To all whom t man; concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES l/V. MCCON- NELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reducing Valves, of which the following is a speciication.

- This invention relates to reducing valves, and more particularly to that character of reducing valve adapted to receive air, steam or other gases under high pressure from a source of supply at one side of the valve vand deliver it at a reduced pressure t the other side of the valve. Such valve is particularly adapted for use in automobile torpedoes between the source of air supply and the motor driven thereby, although it is, of course, to be understood that while the invention will be hereinafter described in relation to such use, the structure of the device makes it applicable for other uses without material modification.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical re ducing valve having relatively few parts which may be relatively inexpensively manufactured and crmit the parts to be easily assembled, ceaned or replaced. A further object is to provide a valve of the above character which will be more reliable and efficient in use and operation than devices of a. similar character now in use. A further object isto provide a valve of the last above-mentioned character in which the parts are so positioned and arran ed as to obtain a uniform air pressure on t e reduced pressure side of theva1ve. A further object is to rovide a valve, mechanism of the above c aracter adapted to. compensate for any leakage that may occur about the joints and working parts.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and in part indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of parts and in the uni ue relations of the members and in the re ative proportioning and disposition thereof; all as more oompletely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehend the underlying features Athereof that they may embody the same in numerous modifications in structure tus.4 as-is necessary to understand the invention. v

In the device herein shown, air at high pressure is delivered from a chamber or other suitable storage means, let us say at a pressure of 2500 pounds per square inch, and enters a reducing valve casing 5 through inlet passage 6, passing thence past a check valve 7, into a communicating passageway 8, past a valve seat 10 and valve head 11, where it i s reduced to the desired plrassure, thence into the outlet passage12, which is in substantial alignment withthe inlet passage, and from there is delivered to the engines of the torpedo at a pressure of about 400 pounds per square inch.

The particular check valve 7 shown is of a type that by suitable means, on the discharge of the torpedo, pressure on the rear, of the valve is relieved, whereupon ressure from the pipe 6 forces the valve bac gases, are admitted into passage 8, and the opera-fV tion heretofore described proceeds. I'

The main valve casing 5 comprises a head portion 13 and a side, tubular extension 14, in which latter is mounted' a valve sleeve 15, having a loose or sliding t therein, A suitable closure member 16 is arranged in a threaded opening in the head portion directly above valve head 11 whereby aembling and cleaning of certain of the valve parts is facilitated. At the outer end of passageway 8 a Athreaded closure17 is also provided for a similar purpose. A valve stem 18 fits within the sleeve 15, and is provided with a collar 20 which seats in a suitable recess in the`forward part of the sleeve, while the head 11 of the valve projects beyond the collar 20 and cooperates with the seat 10 in the head portion 13 of the main easing 5. This seat 10 is machined and carefully ground so that when the pressure within the passagewa 12 exceeds the required limit, the valve ead 1'1 can be provided with a well fitting seat to check the incoming pressure. An oil groove 19 is provided in the tubular extension 14, surrounding the valve sleeve 15 at a oint adjacent to the upper end thereof. ear one end thereof, the sleeve 15 is provided with a suitable supporting means, pret'eral'iljIv c flange 21, against which seats one end or a longitudinally expansible metallic diaphragm, or sylphon 22, the other end of' which. rests on cooperating supporting means', in this ease a` flange 23, of a supporting ring 24. The sylphon is of a, convoluted tubular forni and is securely soldered to flanges 21 and so as to normally provide. an air tight chamber 2h within said sylphon. rlnis member 24 is cnred between one end of the tubular extension 14 and a cup 26, which preferably' has threaded engagement with said tubular extension.

By reason of theloose 0r sliding fit of the sleeve l5 in the tubular extension 14 of the casing a certain amount of gas from the high pressure passageway 8 may leak into a chamber 27 around the outside of the sylphon. n order that this gas may be utilized, a Port 28 is provided leading from the chamber 27 around the sylphon into the reduced pressure passageway 12. Thus the pressure within chamber 27 is kept the same as that which prevails in the reduced pressure passageway 12, and by means of the sylphonl diaphragm 22 an additional surface is provided which is also subjected to r"e duced pressure. This provides a greater differential surface and greatly assists in the pro er regulation of the valve. In further exp anation of this, it must be noted that the lower flange yof the sylphon is immovably soldered to the flange 23 on the ring v24, and therefore pressure on such lower flange of the sylphon has no eflect on the movement of the valve parts. The successive rings or annular corrugations of the sylphon provide similar surfaces on each side so that the pressure thereon neutralizes each other in effect until that flange of the sylphon is reached, which is soldered to flange 21 on sleeve l5. As may be seen, the upper surface of flange 21 and valve head 11, both of which are exposed to reduced pressure, is of greater area than the lowersurface of such flange, to which the upper flange of the sylphon is soldered, and which is ex osed to the same pressure. Thus a certain over-balancing pressure effect prevails in the chamber 2T, acting` in compression against a spring 30 and the sylphon 22.

Within the sylphon 25 a second hollow sleeve 31 is disposed, while threadedly connected to the inside of said sleeve is a section 32 of the stem 18. A suitable set screw 33 is provided to prevent the unscrewing of the stem due tovibrations. The spring 30 housed within the cup 26 bears at one end against a flange 34 on the sleeve 31, and at the opposite end against-a flange 35 on a. hollow' cap 36. The lower part 32 of the stern 18 finds a sliding support within the hollow interior of said cap 36 and guides the sleeves 15 and 3l in their movement.

resinas A. bolt 3'?, for regulating the compression of spring 30, has a threaded engagement with the lower end of the cup 26, and its inner end bears against the hollow cap 36. .fr washer 38 is disposed between thenead of the bolt 37 and the lower outer end of the cup 26vwhereby the adjustment of the bolt may be regulated by using washers of differ ent height, according to the compression desired on the spring 3G. A metallic strap 40 tightly embraces the cup 26, and is attached to some stationary part of the torpedo body, thereby preventing the unscrewing of the cup 26 due to vibrations in the torpedo, and also affording the proper support for this part of the valve mechanism. Safety openings or ports 41 are provided in either side of the cup 26,norma'lly closed by means of a spring clip 42, or other suitable safety closing means, adapted to be forced open should the pressure within the cap 26 exceed a predetermined amount.

It is to he noted that the valve and' the connecting parts provide a structure which is air-tightin construction and while the safety clips 42 permit an excess pressure from within the cup 26 to escape, at the same time it does not permit the entrance of air or water from the outside.

The operation of the device will be understood from the following brief description:

When the torpedo is fired, pressure is exhausted from behind check valve 7 by means of a piston and a port, not shown in the drawing, whereupon the pressure on the other side of the valve will force it open and the highpressure gases proceed into the passageway 8. Ports are provided within the valve 7, and owing to the differential areas exposed to the pressure on the valve, the valve will be maintained open so that a continuous flow of high pressure gases passes into the channel or passageway 8. Air next passes through the valve seat 10 and around the valve head 11.

In practice, the movement of the valve head in each direction in the pressure-reducing operation is constantly, taking place. The movements either way rarely amount to more than a small fraction of an inch. As may be understood from the previous description, the adjustment of the valve has been provided for by regulating the oompression of spring 30 so as to balance the force due to the differential areas exposed to high and low ressure. When high pressure gases are adm1tted to the valve, owing to the differential areas on the parts of the valve exposed to'pressure, the valve stem will be moved in until the tension on the spring and the sylphon balances the pressure exerted by the low pressure gases on that part of the valve mechanism exposed to such low pressure. The valve stem will thus be moved in a short distance, and the valve closed a cerresinas tain amount, after which a position is maintained as to allow the required or predetermined amount of air pressure to prevail in passageway 12. Should this pressure be exceeded, the valve head 11 will be forced in, less air will go past the valve seat 10, the pressure in the passageway 12 will then v'be lowered, and a new adjustment of the position of the valve will then take place.

It will. be understood that any inner movement of the valve stem 18 will be communicated to valve sleeve 15, by means of the collar 20. Valve sleeve 15, in turn, moves sleeve 31 inwardly, and a suicient movement of said second sleeve will carry the flange 34 away from the flange 23 of ring 24, thus placing the chamber 25 inside of the sylphon in communication with the hollow interior of the cup 26, which hollow interior is kept yat atmospheric or other low pressure by means of the safetyspring clip 42, or other suitable safety closure means. Thus, by the means above described, and by means of the port 41, should sylphon 22 become punctured from any cause, pressure prevailing in the chamber around the sylphon will force ange 34 away from contact with the ange 23 and find a ready exit through the hollow interior of the cup 26, out past the spring clip 42, without causing any7 damage to the valve structure.

t may ythus be seen that by means heretofore described a reducing valve is provided which may readily be adjusted to elfect any i? reduction of pressure desired and at the same time I have provided a structure of great utility oferin many novel advantages over valves of t is type heretofore des1 ed. D

gtlithout further analysls, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that, from the standpoint of the prior art,` fairly constitutel .essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claim.

I claim as follows:

A pressure regulating apparatus comprising 1n combination a valve casing of air tight construction having high and low pressure chambers, a valve in said casing exposed to high and low pressure on its opposite sides, slidable means in said casing and connectedto said valve, a spring associated with said slidablemeans actlng on said valve through said slidable means, a tubular convoluted diaphragm whose free end is hermetically connected to said slidable means, and the opposite end hermetically connectedI to sald casing, said diaphragm providing the effect of a hermetic frictionless acking adapted to prevent leakage of chamber in said casing from around or between said slidable means into the part of the casing where said sprin is confined, and a passage leading from t at part of the casing external to the diaphragm to the low pressure chamber in said casing to carry oi leakage and thus prevent loss of air or other fluid, the ei'ective surface of said valve, slidable means and diaphragm being substantially equal.

Signed at Washington, District of Columbia, this 16th day of May, 1918.

y f JAMES W. McCONNELL.

uid from the high pressure 

